Guard-rail tie plate



co n J. R. WATT GUARD RAIL TIE PLATE Filed July 2. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. R. WATT GUARD RAIL TIE PLATE Filed July 2, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented oci.. 14, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN RUTHEBFORD WATT, F LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR T0 SELLERS MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, .A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

GUARD-.RAIL TIE PLATE.

Application filed July 2,

To all whom t my concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN RUTHERFORD WATT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of Jefferson a and State of Kentucky, have invented ce1'- tain new and useful Improvements in Guard-Rail 'Ie Plates, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to guard rail tie no plates, and it has for its principal object the provision of a new and improved form and arrangement of cooperating parts vby which the guard rail may be held more securely in position to resist the side thrusts is to which it is subjected under traic conditions. As is well understood,ythere is a certain amount of lateral play allowed in gaging lthe wheels on the axles of cars, and this play is increased ,by wear on the flanges 2o of the wheels. By reason of this permissible play, it is important that the running rail and the guard rail shall be very iirmly secured in position in order to keep the wheels from leading against the point of 255 the frog, which might have a very serious result.

It is the object of my invention to pro' vide a construction by which the side thrust which is transferred from the guard rail an to the running rail by the clamp or other connection between the two rails is resisted e'ectively by the 'two rails thro-ugh the medium of the tie plate and the spikes which are furnished suitable solid face bearings by the tie plate. To this end, it is one of the objects of my invention to provide an arrangement of parts -by reason of which I am enabled to employ spikes on both the inside and the f outside edges of both of the rails, the tie plates being perforated in ysuch positions as to be held securely by the spikes.

It is another object of my invention to improve devices of this type in sundry details hereinafter pointed out. The preferred means by which I have accomplished my several objects are illustrated in the drawings and are hereinafter specifically described. That which I believe to .be new and desire to cover by Letters Patent is set forth in the-claims.

In the drawings, j

1 is a pxlan view of a piece of track, showing the `og and the .adjacent parts,

1923. serial no. 649,025.

and embodying my improved construction.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail, tbeing subsptantially a section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 2 on a' still larger scale, and with some of the parts omitted, with a fragmentary showing of a wheel on the track.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of one of the running rails and the adjacent side rails.

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 areenlarged detail views of the several plates shown in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 8 is an edge view of the plate shown in Fig. 7, slightly enlarged.

Referring to the several ligures of the drawings, in which corresponding parts are indicated by the same reference characters, 10 and 11 indicate the outside runnin rails of two converging tracks, and 12 in 'cates the cross ties upon which such rails are supported and secured. Between the rails 10 and 11 there is the usual frog structure, comprising the frog rails 13 and 14. which converge at the point of the frog, as at 15, and comprising further the frog rails. 16 and 17, which have wing rails 18 and 19 formedintegrally therewith.

Extending along the inner faces of the running rails 10 and 11, there are provided guard rails 20 and 21. j

Ihese guard rails are given a slight curvature, as is usualand the outer edge of each of the guard rails is planed Off at the base, so as to eliminate the curvature at this point and so as to provide clearance of perhaps .threequarters of an inch between the bases of the two rails, with a clearance of approximately one and three-quarter inches between the adjacent faces of the heads of the rails. The guard rail is spaced from the running rail by the use of two wedge blocks 22 and proper spacing distance. A clamp 24 of any approved type is provided at each side substantially opposite the point ofthe frog, each of the clamps. being adapted to engage the face of one of the rails and having operative engagement with the face of the other rail by the use of a suitable wedge block 25 the block 25 being'adjustably connected with the adjacent end of the clamp by means of pins 26 passing through holes 'in the wedge member 25.

23, which co-operate for obtaining the blocks 28y and 29 of any approved type are 'the wedge block 25.

preferably emplcyed'at one or both sides of `the structure. The ends of the guard rails 20 and 21 are preferably beveled, as is best indicated in Fig. lff

My improved platesA which I have employed underneath the guard rails, are of three differenttypes, indicated respectively by the numerals 30, 3l and k32. These plates are all of the same length, being adapted to extend transversely underneath both the guard rail and the running rail. At their outer ends, the plates are provided with openings for spikes, indicated in all vthree of the plates shown by the numeral 33. Each of the plates is provided at its middle point with a ycross rib or shoulder 34, as is best shown in Fig. 8, openings 35 being provided for receiving spikes so as to have one face of the spike lin alignment with thef square face of the rib 34.

As will be appreciated from an inspection of Fig..4, on account of the curvature of the guard rail 21, the positions of the spikes for the inner vedge of the guard rail must vary in accordance with the position of the tie plate with respect to the guardrail. For this reason the spike holes 36 for the inner ends of the plates are at different dis-l tances from the holes 35 so as to provide a proper bearing or backing for a spike in engagement. with the inner edge of the guard rail base flange, in whatever position the plate occupies along the guard rail. These Vopenings in the inner ends of the plates in Figs. 5, \6 and 7 are all indicated by the numeral 36. i

As is shown in Fig.,3, the flange 37 of a wheel 38 of the ordinary type is'of a slightly smaller width than the distance between the adjacent faces of the heads of the two rails so as to be capable of controlling to a considerable` nicety the position of the wheel illustrated, control of the other wheel which is mounted upon the saine axle being thereby effected. When a car passes the' frog, there is set up ordinarily a very strongside thrust against the inner face of the head of the guard rail. `This thrust is transferred from the guardrail to the running rail through the medium of the clamp 24 and y The thrust in turn ,is transferred from the running rail tothe tie plate by the engagement of the running rail with the rib 34.

Aswill be readily understood,l there is a distinct advantage in being able to givel the ribs 34 a. fixed position upon the several tie plates, `without being required to take into consideration the curvature of the guard rail. This result is effected by havlng the rib engage the inner edge of the t-liereof, one face of the rib bein running rail. By providing the effective engagement between the ribs 34 and the inner edge of the running rail, and by providing a snug engagement of the spikes at the outer ends of the plates with the openings through the tie plates, I have been enabled to hold the plate very firmly in position upon the cross tie, and to hold the running rails in very firm position upon the. tiey plates.

So faf as I am aware I am the first in the art to provide a series of tie plates Such as are above described, lwith ribs, such as the ribs 34, in fixed position upon the plates, in position to engage the inner edge of the base of -the running rail, and I am accordingly claiming this feature broadly.

It'will be understood that 'I do not desire to be restricted to the details of construc. tion as illustrated, except as the same may be hereinafter specifically claimed, inasmuch as it is evident that changes might be made in some of the detailsrof construction without departing from.the 'spirit of my invention.

I claim:

l. .A tie plate adapted to extend beneath a running rail and a guard rail and having spike holes near each end thereof adapted to receive spikesv engaging the adjacent 95. edges of the rails, the 'spike holes at the guard rail end being disposed at unequal distances from the end of the plate, and a thrust rib extending upwardly across said plate Asubstantially midway vof the length adapted to take the thrust of the inner e ge of the running rail.

2. A tie plate adapted to 'extend beneath arunning rail and a guard rail Vand havi 10Q ing spike holes near each end thereof adapted to'receive spikes engaging the 'adjacent edges of the rails, the spike holes at the guard rail end being disposed at unequal distances from the end of the plate, and a thrust rib extending upwardly across said plate substantially midway of the length thereof, one face of the rib being adapted to take the thrust of the inner edge of the runningl rail, and spike holes extending through the rib so that the outer faces of the spikes will share the thrust of the running rail with the rib.

3; A guard rail assembly, including .in combination, cross ties, a running rail anota guard rail thereon, tie plates interposed between said tiesand said rails, said plates having shoulders intermediate 'their ends adapted to abut the inner edge of the running rail base, said plates having spike holes therein near'the ends thereof and adjacent the respective edges of the rails, and a yoke engaging the outer surfaces of said rails and underlying the bases of the same adapted to transmit lateral thrust against the guard v rail to the other rail and therethrough to the tie plate shoulder for preventing displacement of said rails.

4. A guard rail assembly including in combination, cross ties, a running rail and a guard rail thereon, tie plates interposed between said ties and said rails7 said plates having shoulders intermediate their ends adapted to abut the inner edge of the running rail base, said plates having spike holes therein near the ends thereof and through the rib, those at one'end being substantially p the same distance fromsaid shoulder and those at the other end being at unequal distances therefrom, whereby spikes may be' driven. there-through in Contact with the guard rail irrespective of its curvature and have full backing against the tie plates, and a yoke passing underneath said rails and engaging the outer surfaces of the Webs thereof adapted to transmit lateral thrust against the guard rail to the running rail and therethrough to the tie plate shoulder for preventing displacement of "said rails.

JCI-IN RUTHERFORD WATT. 

